Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Sonoma Scent Studio- Amber Incense


In anticipation of the reopening of Sonoma Scent Studio's e-commerce I thought this is a good time to talk about perfumer Laurie Erickson's Amber Incense, a fragrance released earlier this year. The beautiful wood-dark resins composition is perfect for the season and for a day I got a new pair of cozy slippers (Bob and Cedric destroyed my beloved old ones. You don't want the details). It's all about warmth, but also a hint of mystery and even the outdoorsy note familiar to fans of Sonoma Scent Studio. It feels as though you opened the window to let  the fall air into your home.

Collectors of amber and/or incense perfumes probably have several iconic perfumes in this much-beloved style. Yet, for most of us there's at least one classic amber-incense fragrance that we just don't get. Or simply dislike for one reason or another. In my case it's Ambre Narguile (Hermessence collection). It turns into a giant apple turnover on my skin, and I don't even like to eat these pastries, let alone feel like one. Amber Incense is what I hoped Ambre Narguile would be back in the day: a tender  amber with whiffs of incense and a welcoming gourmand note.

Amber Incense is  like coming home on  a dreary  rainy day into a softly lit room where the smell of a freshly baked plum cake dominates the space. Putting on said slippers and sitting in a favorite spot next to a cuddly cat or three, watching the shadows outside become longer until the trees outside are enveloped in darkness, you get a feeling of well-being that warms you from the inside out. You want to bask in it and immerse yourself in this golden happiness, and even the pile of books on the side table doesn't pull you away from being in the moment, inhaling the various aromas of indoors, outdoors, damp, toasty, furry, and woody. This is what pleasure smells like.

Sonoma Scent Studio- Amber Incense ($64 for a 17ml bottle, other sizes and samples available) can be purchased from sonomascentstudio.com. The website is due to reopen the first week of November, but Laurie Erickson can accept email orders and/or contacted on Facebook. The sample for this review was sent to me by the perfumer.

Art: John William Wwaterhouse, The Sorceress, 1913

10 comments:

  1. I adore so many of Laurie's scents, they are very intimate and unique.

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    1. Same here. I always by the 5mls and they go in my purses and travel the world with me.

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  2. Yes, SMN are lovely scents, interesting and embracing. Many of them have this autumnal golden vibe which I adore, since Fall is my favourite part of the year (but I say so since I write from Sourthern Spain). I adore Champagne de Bois, probably more than the Chanel edt ;) Sadly, she does not ship to Europe anymore.

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    1. Champagne de Bois is perhaps my top favorite. Or maybe Fig Tree. Can't decide. I do hope Laurie finds a solution for the overseas problem.

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  3. I love amber scents and from the moment I first tried it, this one from Laurie made it into my list of all time great ambers. She's such a brilliant scent magician. However, if I'd not tried it and loved it already, I'd have been tripping over myself to get some after reading the third paragraph of your review describing the essence of pleasure. Incredibly idyllic. Honestly, you could have been reviewing an Axe body spray and that paragraph would have convinced me that my life would not be complete until I had some.
    Anna

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    1. O, Anna! Thank you. And I promise never to make you go hunt down some Axe. <3

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  4. You've made this one sound lovely. I've loved some SSS scents, others less so, but I totally agree about Ambre Narguile: didn't like that one at all. I had a decant for years and oddly enough kept thinking/remembering that I liked it. So I'd pick it up, spray happily, and then feel a combination of disappointment and misery for the rest of the day. This happened enough times that I fnally threw out the decant so I wouldn't keep doing the same thing! Not sure why my memory was in such discordance with my reality--perhaps because it sounded so good on paper? Anyway, I need a better amber and I'm excited to find out if Amber Incense is it. Thanks for the review.

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    1. I'm very curious now to see how your hunt for a good amber turns out. I usually have a very easy time with ambers, but that Hermes thing... just no. I feel the same way about most of the range. Jean-Claude is not my lover.

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  5. This is the best news I've heard in a while! The SSS site is opening!!! The SSS site is opening! Thanks Gaia!

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    1. I know! I have a little shopping list of my own.

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